How to hire a game designer

How to hire a game designer, step by step

Here's a step-by-step game designer hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a game designer job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new game designer
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a game designer do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you start hiring a game designer, identify what type of worker you actually need. Certain positions might call for a full-time employee, while others can be done by a part-time worker or contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   A game designer's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, game designers from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

   This list presents game designer salaries for various positions.

   Type of Game Designer	Description	Hourly rate
   Game Designer		$28-61
   User Interaction Designer	A User Interaction Designer works with product management to develop and implement innovative solutions for product direction and visuals. They execute all visual design stages.	$28-54
   Designer	A designer is someone who creates a master plan of the look or workings of something before it will be made. It could be tangible or intangible objects, products, procedures, laws, events, games, graphics, services, and even experiences... Show more	$21-46

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Unity
   • UI
   • Game Development
   • Game Mechanics
   • C++
   • Math
   • Prototyping
   • Unreal Engine
   • PC
   • Art Assets
   • Level Design
   • User Interface
   • Animation
   • Combat

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Lead brainstorming meetings to develop new ideas and concepts.
   • Manage the bug tracking database for the entire design team.
   • Lead the design of world-class social games on the Facebook platform.
   • Manage creative team including lead illustrator, lead painter, animation and sound design.
   • Manage QA and drive testing plans, which deliver a high quality product on time.
   • Design the project's path, and manage an android programmer, a graphic designer and a musician.

   More game designer duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your game designer job description is one of the best ways to attract top talent. A game designer can vary based on:

   • Location. For example, game designers' average salary in wyoming is 39% less than in nevada.
   • Seniority. Entry-level game designers 53% less than senior-level game designers.
   • Certifications. A game designer with certifications usually earns a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for an established firm or a new start-up company can make a big difference in a game designer's salary.

   Average game designer salary

   $87,645yearly

   $42.14 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level game designer salary

   $60,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 21, 2025

   Average game designer salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	Nevada	$112,677	$54
   2	California	$103,605	$50
   3	Washington	$103,022	$50
   4	District of Columbia	$99,623	$48
   5	Massachusetts	$93,526	$45
   6	New York	$87,288	$42
   7	Louisiana	$85,711	$41
   8	Utah	$84,908	$41
   9	Texas	$78,187	$38
   10	Colorado	$77,327	$37
   11	Virginia	$75,489	$36
   12	Pennsylvania	$74,360	$36
   13	Florida	$71,927	$35
   14	Georgia	$70,509	$34
   15	Illinois	$67,932	$33
   16	Hawaii	$65,396	$31

   Average game designer salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Meta	$150,736	$72.47	229
   2	Microsoft	$123,529	$59.39	62
   3	Amazon	$119,229	$57.32	229
   4	Sony Electronics	$101,967	$49.02
   5	Maximum Games	$100,094	$48.12
   6	Skillz	$98,568	$47.39
   7	The Walt Disney Company	$97,145	$46.70	34
   8	Epic Games	$95,093	$45.72	16
   9	Nintendo	$94,984	$45.67	2
   10	2k	$94,642	$45.50	4
   11	Gearbox Software	$93,689	$45.04	1
   12	Ready At Dawn Studios	$93,573	$44.99
   13	Bungie	$93,491	$44.95
   14	Sony Interactive Entertainment America	$93,287	$44.85
   15	ArenaNet	$93,151	$44.78
   16	Rockstar Games	$92,472	$44.46	1
   17	Electronic Arts	$92,404	$44.42	1
   18	ZeniMax Media	$91,760	$44.12	15
   19	Jam City	$91,726	$44.10	5
   20	PlayStation	$91,716	$44.09	1

4. Writing a game designer job description

   A good game designer job description should include a few things:

   • Summary of the role
   • List of responsibilities
   • Required skills and experience

   Including a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager is also appreciated by candidates. Here's an example of a game designer job description:

   Game designer job description example

   • A Game Design portfolio demonstrating their work, preferably with videos, screenshots, or supporting documentation regarding their workflow, thought processes, and contributions to projects
   • Deep knowledge of Unity and the Unity development pipeline
   • Core understanding of solid game design foundations and can fluently discuss the modern 3D Action Game market
   • Have shipped 1 or more AAA action titles in a game or game design role, with a preference towards systems and content designers using Unity technology.
   • Excellent documentation, communication, interpersonal, and organizational skills. Ability to explain a design effectively to multiple stakeholders and maintain communication during its development.
   • Ability to maintain focus and self-motivation towards the current project goals.

   
   

   Bonus Points For:

   • 3 or more years of level design experience, including at least 1 console title
   • Resume examples of work with Unity codebase and architecture
   • Live near or be able to relocate to Frisco, Texas
   • Experience with developing and expanding games after initial release
   • Experience working in small, rapid development environments
   • Prior leadership experience

   
   

   Gearbox Entertainment believes that all team members should be able to enjoy a work environment free from all forms of discrimination and harassment. We are committed to reflecting the diversity of the world we strive to entertain. As an Equal Opportunity Employer, we provide fair and equal treatment to all team members and applicants. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, disability, genetic information, pregnancy or maternity, veteran status, or any other status protected by applicable national, federal, state or local law.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find game designers for your business, try out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important talent pools for any company is its current employees.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and your current work to ask if they know any game designers they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit entry-level game designers with the right educational background.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter have more than 3.5 billion users, and they're a great place for company branding and reaching potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your game designer job on Zippia to find and recruit game designer candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites such as dice, engineering.com, stack overflow, it job pro.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Your first interview with game designer candidates should focus on their interest in the role and background experience. As the hiring process goes on, you can learn more about how they'd fit into the company culture in later rounds of interviews.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match your ideal candidate profile. If you think a candidate is good enough for the next step, you can move on to the technical interview.

   While interviews are great, you will only sometimes learn enough from a conversation with a game designer applicant. In those cases, having candidates complete a test project can go a long way in figuring out who's the most likely to succeed in the role. If you aren't a technical person and don't know how to design an appropriate test, you can ask someone else on the team to create it or take a look at these websites to get a few ideas:

   • TestDome
   • CodeSignal
   • Testlify
   • BarRaiser
   • Coderbyte

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new game designer

   Once you have selected a candidate for the game designer position, it is time to create an offer letter. In addition to salary, the offer letter should include details about benefits and perks that are available to the employee. Ensuring your offer is competitive is vital, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and it is important to be open to discussion and reach a mutually beneficial agreement. After the offer has been accepted, it is a good idea to formalize the agreement with a contract.

   You should also follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that you've filled the position.

   After that, you can create an onboarding schedule for a new game designer. Human Resources and the hiring manager should complete Employee Action Forms. Human Resources should also ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc., and that new employee files are created.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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How much does it cost to hire a game designer?